The cultural heritage of the German, Italian, Austrian, Polish and Portuguese colonizers is the great mark of this region of Santa Catarina, located in the Vale do Itajaí (Itajaí Valley). Famous for hosting the largest German festival in the Americas, the Oktoberfest of Blumenau, the Vale Europeu has many other attractions: from the typical architecture to the cuisine, celebrated in great style during the October Festivals; from the purchasing routes in the towns and cities of the Santa Catarina textile industry region to the religious celebrations which take place in several of its municipalities; from ecotourism to rural tourism. Choose your route and have a good journey.

Travel through the European culture and enjoy yourself in the typical festivals.

In the Vale Europeu, the architecture, customs, gastronomy and even the dialects heard remind one of the old continent. In Blumenau, Pomerode, Brusque and Gaspar, the German cultural heritage is predominant. While in São João Batista, Rodeio and Nova Trento it is the Italian colonization which stands out. In nearly all the 49 municipalities of the region there are festivals which celebrate the cultural heritage of the European immigrant. The most well-known is the Oktoberfest (in October, in Blumenau). In the same month there is also the Fenarreco (Brusque), Festa do Imigrante (Timbó) and Kegelfest (Rio do Sul). And the joy continues throughout the remainder of the year, in events as the Festa Pomerana (Pomerode), Anima Italiana (Rio do Sul), Festitália (Blumenau), Festa Trentina (Rio dos Cedros), La Sagra (Rodeio) and Weihnachtsmarkt (Ibirama), to name but a few.

Find quality products at competitive prices.

Some municipalities of the Vale Europeu are well-known destinations for purchase tourism. Brusque, for example, is one of the main textile regions in the country, with articles for the bed, table, bath and clothing. While in the footwear sector, São João Batista municipality stands out, with direct sales by factories in the pavilions of the SC-411. Rio do Sul is distinguished for producing jeans, sold in purchasing centers which gather together the production of more than 100 local factories. But the first town in the Vale Europeu to bet on purchase tourism was Blumenau, where it is possible o find crystal, porcelain, textiles, toys and chocolates.

Take to the road and discover the pleasures of life in the country.

Traveling on the roads which interlink the towns and cities of the Vale Europeu is one of the most pleasant trips which you can make in Santa Catarina. At several points, the scenery is interspersed with rivers and cascades. In many regions, rural properties open their doors to receive the visitors, offering accommodation, leisure activities as fishing, horse riding and trails, besides the always well laden table, with colonial breakfast, organic products and the sale of homemade products. The scenery includes timber frame style houses, windmills, waterwheels, chapels and mills. The project Acolhida na Colônia (Welcome to the Colony) schedules visits to rural properties in twelve municipalities of the Vale Europeu.

Visit sanctuaries, churches and religious grottoes of the Vale Europeu.

The Vale Europeu houses Catholic sanctuaries, chapels, oratories, churches and grottoes dedicated to different saints. In Nova Trento alone there are more than 30 institutions linked to the Catholic faith, including the Santuário Santa Paulina (Sanctuary Saint Pauline) – dedicated to the first Brazilian saint. The municipality is already the second most visited religious destination in Brazil, only behind Aparecida do Norte, em São Paulo. Also worthy of mention are the Santuário Nossa Senhora de Azambuja (Sanctuary Our Lady of Azambuja), in Brusque – the second most important in Santa Catarina – and the Gruta Nossa Senhora de Fátima (Grotto Our Lady of Fátima), in Doutor Pedrinho. The Vale Europeu also has Lutheran churches in Blumenau, Aurora, Presidente Nereu and Ibirama, and even a Ukrainian church, in Santa Terezinha municipality.

Discover incredible scenarios for practicing ecotourism.

The hills, valleys, rivers, cascades and waterfalls of the Vale Europeu are a permanent invitation to practicing trekking, rappel, cascading, canyoning, mountain biking, free flight and paragliding. Another sport which stands out is cycling. The tradition of riding bicycles – another heritage from the European colonizers – led to the first intermunicipal cycling circuit in Brazil: the Circuito de Cicloturismo do Vale Europeu (Cycling Tourism Circuit of the European Valley). There are 300 km along secondary roads, which cross nine municipalities in the region. Rio dos Cedros is part of the route and draws one’s attention due to its beautiful lakes surrounded by mountains. Another attraction not to be missed is the cave of Botuverá, the largest in the South of the country and one of the most beautiful in Latin America.